Jaismine Lamboria, Arundhati Choudhary reveal mental battles behind CWG gold

Commonwealth Games gold medallists Jaismine Lamboria and Arundhati Choudhary opened up about illness, injuries, pressure and self-doubt at the IAMGAME 2026 Conclave. The boxers highlighted mental strength, visualisation and sports psychology as key factors behind their major victories

Hyderabad: Indian boxers Jaismine Lamboria and Arundhati Choudhary shared the mental battles behind their Commonwealth Games gold medals during a candid fireside chat at the IAMGAME 2026 Conclave, held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.

Jaismine, the women’s 57kg champion and World No. 1, recalled returning to training with only three weeks of preparation following a month-long illness.

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“If you want to see your hand raised, give your 100 per cent in the ring. Once you understand what you are capable of and overcome self-doubt, nothing can hold you back from doing your best for the country,” Jaismine said.

World No. 2 Arundhati, who won gold in the women’s 70kg category, spoke about competing with a 102-degree fever while dealing with a wrist injury and concerns over her mother’s health.

“The Commonwealth Games comes once every four years. I told myself I could either fight for nine minutes or wait another four years. You cannot win on aggression alone; mentally, you have to win first,” Arundhati said.

The two boxers also highlighted the importance of visualisation, sports psychology and learning from defeats while preparing for major competitions.

The two-day conclave brought together athletes, sports administrators, business leaders, policymakers, brands and entrepreneurs to discuss the development of India’s sporting ecosystem.

Karan Singh Chettri, Founder and CEO of ESP 360 Degree Solution and IAMGAME, said the platform aimed to address gaps in access, participation and collaboration across Indian sport.

“We cannot build our sporting future solely around producing medallists. To have hundreds breaking national records, we need tens of thousands playing at the base. Our goal is to expand the funnel, change parental mindsets and make sport accessible to every young athlete,” Chettri said.

Key winners included GoSports Foundation for Social Impact Through Sports; PWR Indian Pickleball League for Best Emerging League and Sports Event of the Year; Hyundai Motor India for Sports Marketing Campaign of the Year; CoLLearn Education for Sports Startup of the Year; GM Abhijit Kunte for Coach of the Year; and Anahat Singh for Rising Star of the Year.

In Athlete Excellence, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues were named Athlete of the Year – Female, while Abhinav Shaw and Gurtej Singh Bhatti received Gold honours in the Male category. Munna Khalid was named Para-Athlete of the Year.